Something New
by dna2000
Summary: Modern A/U. Anna and Bates are getting married. The maid of honour and best man have never met each other before - but when they do, sparks fly in an unexpected manner. Fluffy, silly, and likely to only be two chapters! CH.2 NOW REPLACED TO AMEND WEIRD FORMATTING!
1. Chapter 1

"So I finally get to meet the famous Lady Mary Crawley today, then?" Matthew smirked as he fastened his cufflinks.

"You do have that great pleasure, yes." Bates quipped, and the groom and his best man shared a laugh. "I should warn you, though - Anna has briefed her about you and has given you a dazzling reference. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was trying to set the two of you up."

"Well, then it's a good thing that I've heard enough about Ms Crawley from you to ensure that I stay well away from her advances." Matthew remarked with a knowing smile. Suited and booted, the two men walked out of their flat and made their way towards the church.

...

"If I weren't your maid of honour I would have feigned illness and sacked this whole evening off."

Anna concealed her eye-roll at the dramatic declaration. "I promise you it won't be that bad." She attempted to placate Mary.

"Oh really?" Mary turned to her with a raised eyebrow, a lock of hair wound around a curling tong. "You're making me spend all day with that wet blanket of a best man!"

"You haven't even met him yet!" Anna countered. "Anyway, I've told you all about how lovely he is."

"The reason you've told me all about how 'lovely' he is is because you know I won't like him and you want to try to brainwash me before I meet him."

There wasn't much Anna could say to refute this allegation. Her best friend's cynicism was, in this instance, right on the money. Despite all Mary's huffing and puffing, however, Anna knew that she would never do anything to jeopardise the wedding and would keep quiet no matter what was thrown at her. The wedding _rehearsal_, however, might be a different story.

...

"The church is beautiful." Matthew said, earning a joyous smile from the vicar who was leading them to the front of the aisle. The modest-sized medieval church was the exact location that Bates and Anna had been searching for to hold their small wedding.

"Ah, and here is the bride's party!" The jolly vicar announced, seeing a smiling Anna approach the men with her parents and Mary in tow.

Matthew instantly peered over to catch a glimpse of the maid of honour. His first thought was that Bates hadn't been lying about her beauty - she seemed to have an air about her that was atypical of young women these days, as if she belonged to an age of elegance that had since passed. Another unmistakeable mark of her appearance was that she had the distinct look of somebody who did _not_ want to be there.

As Anna, Bates and their families exchanged greetings, Matthew extended a hand to Mary. "Pleasure to meet you." The statement was genuine, although perhaps for a different reason to what it suggested. Ever since Bates had first laughingly relayed to him the story of Anna's best friend - the daughter of an Earl who grew up on 1000 acres of heritage land in Yorkshire and had never been to a supermarket in her life - Matthew had been keen to meet her. Anna was the sweetest and most grounded girl you could ever hope to meet, and it somewhat baffled him that her maid of honour would be someone so out-of-touch and apparently conceited.

"Likewise." Mary replied smoothly, her eyes madly scrutinising him beneath her cool exterior. Passing judgment on people that she'd only just met was a favourite past-time of hers, and she had a feeling that this Matthew Crawley would provide her with a decent amount of ammunition to complain about. After all, any best friend of Bates' was likely to be equally dull and devoid of character as he was. Perhaps she could set him up with Edith. He was handsome, which, to her credit, Anna had assessed accurately. He was just a little too 'pretty' for Mary's tastes, though. A rugged, more masculine sort of man was more her cup of tea. But at least she wouldn't be made to leave the church on the arm of some ogre, so that was something.

"So, shall we begin?" The round-bellied vicar clapped his hands together with glee, as if he could barely contain his excitement.

The next hour or so saw Mary and Matthew remaining quiet as they each practised their respective roles as aides to the soon-to-be-wed couple. This meant that Mary had to traipse up and down the aisle a dozen times as Anna wanted to ensure that her pace was perfect, holding a make-shift 'train' that consisted of a white sheet pinned to Anna's waistband. Matthew had the easier task of standing at the head of the aisle and pretending to pass the wedding rings to Bates a couple of times.

"Lovely, lovely!" The vicar exclaimed as the couple finished the mock exchanging of rings. "What happens now, is you take your bride's hand - yes, like that, jolly good - and the two of you face your loved ones and beam with supreme jollity - come now, you can manage a wider smile than that, Mr Bates!" His hearty laughter was contagious for all of those present, barring Mary, who was growing rather fed up with the unnecessarily chatty vicar and the prolonged rehearsal. Who on Earth needed to practice _smiling_ at people? "And then you begin to make your way back down the aisle, and the violins will be playing in the background - that reminds me," he interrupted himself, "will you be needing any of the church musicians for your first dance?"

"No, thank you." Anna replied politely. "We thought we'd have one of John's friends, William, play for us - he plays the piano very well and can sing too, so he's prepared something traditional for us."

"Oh, of course, you did mention that to me." The vicar tapped himself on the head as a reprimand for his forgetfulness. "Is the young chap here? I should like to meet him."

"He'll be arriving early on the wedding day, so you can meet him then. He's a little tied up at the Emirates stadium at the moment." Bates smiled.

Presuming that Mary wouldn't know what Bates was referring to and trying to be helpful, Matthew turned to her and said, "Emirates is Arsenal's football grounds. He's watching a football match."

His assistance didn't have the desired effect, however. A look of offence on her face, Mary gracefully arched an eyebrow at him. "Yes, I know." She replied tightly. He clearly thought she was some kind of prissy brat who didn't know about anything that was unrelated to make-up and clothes. How dare he make assumptions about her based on her appearance. She may have been doing the exact same thing about him, but that wasn't the point!

"While we have your time, Vicar, we were hoping to run our vows past you and suggest some amendments?" Anna asked. The vicar happily accepted and ushered the couple over to one of the pews to discuss the matter, while their respective parents took the opportunity to catch up and natter about the wedding day, leaving Matthew and Mary alone to make small talk.

"So...did you find the church OK, then?" Matthew ventured, struggling to think of anything to say to this woman. He doubted that they'd have anything in common at all. In the interests of his best friend, however, he hoped that they could get along well enough to ensure that the wedding day ran without a hitch.

What a ridiculous question! He was speaking to her as if she was an utter idiot and, having been subjected to such assumptions all her life on account of her good looks and sense of fashion, it was something that made her blood boil. "No, actually, I'm still lost trying to find it - I've been circling the M5 for hours now." Mary bit back.

"Right, sorry, silly question." Matthew apologised. She was wittier than he'd thought she'd be, but still undoubtedly arrogant. A lengthy awkward silence followed. "Anna tells me that you work in fashion." He tried again.

"In a sense, yes. I analyse the sales figures for our corporate group and make decisions on what products we should sell based on my findings." Mary replied. Usually, she wouldn't go into so much detail about her job - she doubted that even Anna knew exactly what she did - but for some reason she felt the need to prove herself to this uppity blonde man and make clear that she wasn't some bimbo that he could talk down to.

"Oh, that sounds interesting." It didn't actually sound particularly interesting to Matthew, but it did make him a bit more intrigued by her.

"Well, you're a tax lawyer so I'll take that comment with a pinch of salt." This was intended to be a rebuke, so the small chuckle from Matthew made her turn her head more fully towards him.

Against all odds, there was something about this woman that Matthew actually found quite amusing. "I must tell Anna to stop mentioning to people that I'm a tax lawyer - it doesn't endear me to people."

Mary thought that being a tax lawyer was probably the _most_ endearing thing about him, from what she'd seen so far, but she bit her tongue. Perhaps it would be best if they just stopped talking altogether.

"I suppose it'll be quite sad for you not being able to see Anna as much once she's married."

Mary sighed internally - could this man not just leave her in peace? "What makes you say that? Is Bates going to increase his strangle-hold on her and lock her away from her friends?" Mary had never kept it a secret that she didn't like how possessive was over Anna - she'd always felt he was holding her back.

Suddenly, Lady Mary became a lot less amusing. If there was one thing that put Matthew Crawley on the offensive, it was people bad-mouthing his friends, especially Bates who had been by his side through some terrible times. "Bates would never interfere with Anna's life like that. I'm not sure where you're getting your opinions of him from but I don't think you know him very well." He said firmly.

"I'm perfectly capable of forming my own opinions, thank you very much." Mary replied equally firmly. The two stood looking at each other for a few moments, almost in a staring contest, neither wanting to back down. Only the sound of the vicar spluttering with loud laughter caused them to divert their gaze.

The determined silence resumed.

"So is it _you_ who's going to be making the best man's speech?" Mary eventually asked with a tone akin to cold disbelief.

Matthew looked up with a frown. "Of course it is." He replied tersely. He knew she was trying to deride him and make him feel inadequate. In truth, he had been practically wetting himself at the thought of having to stand up in front of a room full of people, on the most important day of his best friend's life, and make a speech that was both moving and humorous.

"But isn't the best man's speech supposed to be, you know..._funny_? And _entertaining_?" She said pointedly, deliberately insinuating that he was as dull as dishwater. He'd found her comment about being a tax lawyer funny, for crying out loud!

"As if you have such a difficult job being maid of honour. All you have to do is turn up in the dress that she tells you to wear and carry her bloody train for thirty seconds!" Matthew blurted out, finally snapping. There was only so much haughtiness that he could tolerate. He did feel rather sheepish, though, when Anna, Bates, the vicar and the couple's parents all turned to stare at him in surprise. Offering an apologetic glance towards them, he steadfastly ignored Mary's self-satisfied smile.

"Maybe that's enough for today." Anna announced. "I think we've covered everything, plus we've got the rehearsal dinner to attend!"

As the small group bid farewell to the vicar and filed out of the church, Bates murmured to Matthew with a smirk, "Told you you'd love her."

...

The rehearsal dinner that evening was a small affair, with only close family and a few friends in attendance at a cosy local restaurant.

The couple of the evening sat in the middle of the horse-shoe shaped table, separating Matthew and Mary who sat on either side of them. They'd greeted each other with nothing more than a polite, cursory nod and smile before taking their seats and spending the meal speaking to other people. That is, until after dessert when Anna and Bates decided to leave their seats and spend the remainder of the evening mingling with people further down the table.

Aware that he should probably say something to Mary - he needed to at least double-check the protocol for the wedding day - Matthew glanced over in her direction with a view to initiating conversation. Her attention was, however, monopolised by the young man seated next to her, whom he believed was Anna's slightly younger cousin.

"...my personal trainer keeps telling me I spend too much time in the gym but, you know, I can't seem to keep myself away when I see the great results that I'm getting." The brown-haired man said, patting his abdominals as if to suggest that they were rock-hard.

"Yes, of course." Came Mary's bored reply. She reached for her glass and drained the remaining wine out of it, immediately looking for the waiter to replenish it.

"One of my exes didn't like me spending so much time on my body," The man continued, blissfully unaware of the disinterest of his audience, "but I always told her, 'Look, Tina - appearance is important'. I get the impression you'd agree with me." He finished, not bothering to conceal how his eyes roamed her body. Matthew, who was observing this from the corner of his eye, started laughing into his wine glass.

This caught Mary's attention. Sharply turning to face him, she quirked an eyebrow at him. "Something funny?"

Matthew cleared his throat before innocently shaking his head. "No, not at all."

But the gleam in his eye revealed that he was in fact laughing at Mary's current situation, as she'd suspected. "That's a shame. I was hoping you'd managed to find something amusing to say in your speech on Saturday." She replied pointedly, having sussed that this was a weak spot of his. It worked. The subtle smirk on his face instantly disappeared and he shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"Mate, if you need some help with it then let me know," Anna's cousin offered confidently, "I'm really funny." He modestly added.

"Great, thanks." Matthew drily replied, frowning as Mary grinned mockingly at him.

"Guys, we've got a bit of a problem." Bates announced, he and Anna returning to their seats hurriedly.

"What is it?" Mary asked with concern.

"William just called - he was leaving the football match when he fell down some steps and fractured his wrist. He's just in hospital getting treated but he won't be able to play our first dance anymore."

"Shit." Matthew sighed. "Well, can't you use the church musicians instead?"

"No." Anna shook her head sadly. "We called the vicar and he said that they just accepted another wedding reception. He doesn't know what to suggest."

Mary scoffed. "He's useful, isn't he? Aren't vicars supposed to know stuff about weddings? What else do they do?"

"They do a lot of things, actually." Matthew retorted, wanting to damage his bruised ego by asserting his knowledge on the topic, as childish as it was. "Besides preparing for all the ceremonies they conduct, many are highly involved in the local community-"

"So basically, we need options for music." Bates interrupted, sensing that Matthew and Mary had the capacity to engage in rather lengthy debates.

The quartet pondered the issue in silence for a few minutes. "I have a couple of friends who sing traditional music - they do stuff like William Byrd and Palestrina." Matthew suggested hopefully.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise that Anna and Bates were getting married in a Catholic monastery in the 16th century." Mary responded, taking satisfaction in the look of surprise on Matthew's face. He obviously hadn't expected her to know what he was talking about.

"The wedding is in less than two days and Anna and I have enough to think about. Can we leave this with you two to sort out?" Bates asked out of desperation. He'd already caught a glimpse of how much they could bicker but he didn't really have any other choice.

"Of course you can, don't worry." Matthew said reassuringly, casting a challenging glance at Mary.

With thanks, Anna and Bates stood and resumed their mingling. Anna's cousin also swiftly resumed his earlier activities in earnest.

"I'm in a band, you know." He said impressively, after ten minutes of talking her ear off about his supposedly many and varied talents. "We have a really unique sound so we're getting a lot of exposure."

"What are you called?" Mary asked politely.

"'The Screaming Harlots.'"

Again, Matthew spluttered into his wine. Mary looked to him again, but this time she was looking to him for help. Surely, if he was anywhere near as gentlemanly as Anna kept saying he was, he would rescue her?

Matthew recognised the pleading look in her eyes. He had already considered stepping in to help her out, but had decided against it. Now, though, he could see that she had reached the end of her tether. Moving over so that he occupied Anna's vacated seat, he draped an arm over the back of Mary's chair. She turned to him, a questioning gaze that was tinged with warning. It appeared that she had quickly deduced his tactics.

"I'm sorry, I don't think we've been properly introduced." Matthew addressed the younger man, extending his right hand. "I'm Matthew."

"Chris." The young man replied, casting a curious glance at Matthew's position. "Do you two know each other? I thought you were Bates' flatmate."

"I am, and Mary and I got to know each other through him." Matthew replied, lifting the arm that was on the back of her chair to wrap around her shoulders. Mary simply smiled and nodded. She was willing to play along with this to the extent that it made Chris leave her alone, but if Matthew tried any funny business with her then God help him.

"Wait, are you two...together?" Chris asked.

"Six months and counting." Matthew beamed. He looked to Mary. "Isn't that right, erm...darling?" He forced the endearment out of his mouth.

Mary gave him a look that he would have laughed at if it hadn't made him slightly fear for his life. "That's right." She addressed Chris.

"Oh...I see." Chris said, physically backing away from where he'd been drooling over Mary.

"Sorry." Mary said gracefully. She was used to turning men away, but she did feel guilty at the disappointment in Chris' face, especially as he was her best friend's cousin.

"It's fine." Chris said casually. "Anyway, I need to go. I'm going back to Nottingham after the wedding for the new term so I need to pack." He said, pushing his chair back.

"A new term? Are you in _university_?" Mary asked incredulously. Chris nodded before he turned to leave, and Mary fumed as she felt Matthew's body shake with stifled laughter. His face was contorted as he tried to stop himself from cracking up. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Shut up." She murmured.

"I didn't say anything!" Matthew said through his sniggers. "It's flattering in a way, isn't it? Attracting younger men? Lots of women would love that." He teased.

"Those women tend to be middle-aged, not in their mid-late 20s." Mary was finding it difficult not to smile now - the mirth on Matthew's face was contagious.

"Are you not even going to thank me?" He asked cheekily. Considering how hostile they had been to each other, he felt he should be given some appreciation for his intervention.

"For what? Your approach was pretty unoriginal." Mary countered.

Matthew blew the air out of his cheeks as a sign of mock-defeat. "Maybe. But it was effective, at least. If I'd left you alone any longer he would've lifted his shirt up to show you a tattoo of Rihanna on his pecs."

Against her will, this made Mary laugh out loud.

Bates suddenly approached them with an intrigued smile. "What's going on here, then?" He asked, noticing that Matthew's arm was still around Mary's shoulders.

"Nothing." Mary said instantly, feeling Matthew's arm slip away from her. "Anna's cousin was making moves on me so Matthew pretended he was my boyfriend to make him go away."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that. Chris should know better." Bates apologised.

"Don't worry, it's not a big deal." Mary said.

"No, it is." Bates insisted. "He should know that the maid of honour is supposed to hook up with the best man, not the bride's cousin!" He laughed, clapping Matthew on the back as he left to get another drink.

Matthew didn't find Bates' joke particularly funny, but he took offence to Mary's disgusted expression. "I'm not that bad, you know." He said bitterly.

"No, it's not that-" Mary began. As annoying as she'd been finding him, he didn't seem like a bad guy and was more sharp-witted than she'd expected. "It was more the concept of a man and woman 'hooking up' purely to follow a tradition that disturbed me."

Inexplicably, Matthew felt a little relieved to learn that he didn't completely repel her. "I agree. I'm not the biggest fan of wedding traditions in general, to be honest."

"Really?" This took Mary by surprise. The prim and proper tax lawyer seemed like a stereotypical stickler for tradition. But, as Matthew revealed in his response to her, he could be rather non-conformist. They chatted for another few minutes, sharing brief anecdotes of their respective mini-rebellions against their parents or teachers.

"Anyway, we should probably start thinking of what to do about the first dance." Matthew said eventually, seeing that most people were making their way out of the restaurant to go home.

"Leave it with me. I have a good stereo and a decent collection of music for this sort of thing. Plus, I know Anna's tastes." Mary said assuredly.

"Are you sure?"

Mary nodded. "In any case, _you_ should be spending all your time writing your speech." She stood up and reached for her handbag. "I'm expecting you to keep me captivated." With that, she swiftly turned and glided away from him.

Catching himself staring at her retreating form, Matthew shook his head clear and gulped down the last of his drink.

...

The day of the wedding finally arrived. The bride and groom spent the morning getting ready with their respective cohorts. For once, it was Mary who dressed Anna, the swapping of roles a unique occurrence in their friendship as it was Anna who was most gifted in hairstyling and make-up. Mary breathed a sigh of relief when her work was given an enthusiastic seal of approval by the bride and her family. In the meantime, Matthew and Bates enjoyed a relatively relaxed morning before making their way to the church, greeting some of the guests as they arrived, and awaiting the bridal party.

After what seemed like several hours for the anxious groom, the congregation arose and eagerly watched the blushing bride make her entrance. Matthew was obviously keen to see what Anna looked like, but he found himself equally - if not more - intrigued to see the woman who was carrying her train. They had barely spent twenty minutes speaking to each other, and most of that had comprised of arguments or snide comments, yet she had consumed his thoughts since they'd parted on Thursday night.

It felt wrong to think so, but he was sure that Mary looked more resplendent than the bride. The feminine, champagne-coloured dress fit her figure perfectly and contrasted wonderfully with her rich brown hair and eyes. She intermittently smiled sweetly at the guests while walking down the aisle, her main focus being on carrying Anna's train and ensuring that nothing went awry.

Taking her place behind Anna as the ceremony commenced, Mary stole a glance at Matthew, who was positioned almost directly opposite her. He was in a three-piece suit, his boyishly unruly hair was coiffed, and his eyes - those magnetic blue eyes - quickly averted themselves to look away from her. Had he been staring at her? Quelling the unexpected flutters in her stomach, Mary too forced herself to pay attention to the ceremony. She flushed as she recalled the unprovoked dream that she'd had the night before, wherein he'd featured heavily. Banishing the racy memory from her mind, she once again sought to concentrate on her best friend getting married. Her eyes had other ideas, though, and she found herself frequently gazing at him, unconsciously admiring his handsomeness. The only thing that made her stop was that Matthew caught her staring twice. Although she was sure that she could feel his gaze on her, too...

The ceremony passed happily, and the guests cried and cheered as the Bates' shared their first kiss as husband and wife. Matthew gave his now ex-flatmate a congratulatory slap on the back, while Mary kissed Anna on the cheek (being careful not to smudge her make-up). Following the couple's lead back down the aisle, Mary nonchalantly held onto Matthew's arm as tradition dictated.

"Glad that went well, they look so happy." She remarked, keeping her eyes fixed steadfastly ahead.

"Mm, it was lovely." Matthew hummed. "Why did you keep looking over at me during the ceremony?" It was a brave, abrupt question. He reckoned that, as long as he posed the question first, he held the higher ground.

"I just wanted to make sure that you still had the rings with you." Mary bluffed as smoothly as she could, startled by him raising the topic. "Why did you keep looking at me?" She asked accusatorily, turning the tables on him.

"I, er, thought I saw...I thought there was something in your hair," Matthew stammered, "but, erm, there wasn't." He coughed awkwardly, inwardly cursing as he could practically feel his ears turning red. The self-satisfied smile on Mary's face didn't help either. He was sure she had been treating him as eye candy too, but she seemed more adept at concealing this fact than he was.

Once outside the church, the congregation spent some time taking initial photographs and congratulating the couple, before they headed round the back where a small marquee had been set up for refreshments before the reception. Politely excusing themselves from their respective conversations, Matthew and Mary made their way into the reception hall, as Mary had told Matthew that she would play him the music that she'd chosen for the first dance.

The wedding cake was already set up in the corner of the room, making Mary gasp when she noticed it.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Matthew remarked.

"It looks delicious. And I'm starving." Mary said greedily, approaching the small table. "Do you think I could have a bit of the icing?"

"What? No! Mary-" Matthew followed after her.

"Honestly, Matthew, nobody will notice." Mary rolled her eyes. "What happened to your rebellious side? Look, there's a bit of excess icing right here..." Tentatively, Mary dipped her index finger into the soft buttercream on the bottom tier of the cake. Licking her lips, she lifted her finger to her mouth, with Matthew looking on disapprovingly. "What flavour is this?" She asked, smelling something unexpected.

"I think I heard Anna say that it was passion-fruit." Matthew answered, wondering why on Earth he'd remembered that.

"Oh no, I'm allergic to passion-fruit!" Mary looked to him in alarm.

"You're allergic to _passion-fruit_?" It was such a ridiculous allergy that it made Matthew laugh, much to Mary's displeasure.

"Yes, I break out in a rash if I consume even the tiniest bit of it, alright?" Mary said firmly. "Now help me get rid of this!" She brandished her sugar-coated finger in front of him.

"Just wipe it on a tissue."

"There aren't any here!" Mary panicked. "Here, you have to eat it." It was the only solution her worried brain could think of. If she attended the wedding reception with a rash all over her body it would be rather embarrassing. "Eat!" She implored Matthew, who was looking very hesitant.

"OK, fine, calm down!" He said exasperatedly, taking her wrist in his hand. Slowly, he lowered his head and parted his lips, moving them to cover the tip of her dainty finger. Her skin was soft and delicate and he felt as if he could taste it along with the sweet icing. The temperature in the room seemed to rise several degrees.

Mary's heart had been beating rapidly in her state of panic, but it raced for an altogether different reason as she felt Matthew's warm mouth over her skin. A shiver rippled down her spine when his tongue briefly skimmed the tip of her finger, licking off all the whipped sugar. His deep blue eyes glanced up at her as he straightened, clearing his throat. The contact had only lasted a few seconds, and only involved a centimetre of her finger, but it had been enough to make her feel oddly light-headed.

The abrupt arrival of the catering staff spared her the trouble of having to speak, and she took the distraction as an opportunity to mumble something about the flower girl and exit the room, leaving a flustered Matthew in her wake.

...

_A/N: this was originally intended to be a one-shot but, as seems to happen these days, I rambled so much that it got too long! So will probably just be one more chapter. Can't decide if I will include any smut or not...let me know what you think! xxx_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: hello, lovely readers! I'm so sorry for taking about 5 weeks to post this second chapter - it has been in progress almost since I posted the first one. I'm so surprised at how many people have enjoyed and reviewed it! Thanks so much for your support. I really hope you enjoy this second instalment!_

_ps no idea what happened with the formatting when I first posted this - so sorry! hopefully it works now xxx_

...

"There you are!" Anna called happily, spotting Mary nearby. "We've been wondering where you'd got to."

Assuming her practiced casual smile, Mary approached the newlyweds - and the best man. She didn't know why she still felt so flustered, given that she'd left him almost thirty minutes ago in favour of going for a nice stroll around the church grounds to cool herself down. They'd hardly done anything - their little incident was barely PG-rated - yet she now found herself studiously avoiding his penetrating gaze as she asked Anna if she could help with anything. It wasn't the easiest thing to do, annoyingly, as those blue eyes of his were too dazzling to ignore.

"We just asked Matthew what you guys had come up with for our first dance but he said he didn't know yet." Anna explained, obviously eager to discover what she would be dancing to with her new husband.

"Oh, right." Mary replied, relieved that she wasn't being asked to engage with Matthew in any way. "Well, it's just a song that my grandmother used to listen to all the time when I was little and-"

"Oh!" Anna exclaimed excitedly, causing Bates and Matthew to look at her in confusion. "The one from the 1920s?"

"That's the one." Mary smiled at her friend, glad to know that she had chosen well.

"I adore that song, thanks so much, Mary." Anna beamed. Bates, despite having no idea what either of them were talking about, also conveyed his gratitude. If it was good enough for his bride, it was good enough for him. "Why don't you and Matthew get it all set up now so you don't have to worry doing it later?" Anna suggested to Mary's dismay. Everyone was still outside at the drinks' reception and would later be making their way inside the hall, where dinner would be served in about an hour's time, after which it would be tricky for anyone to organise the music.

"Erm, it's fine." Mary said as confidently as she could. "I can arrange it myself." The prospect of spending more time alone with Matthew scared her, for some odd reason. It was almost as if she didn't trust herself around him anymore. Besides, how difficult could it be to connect an iPod to the church hall's power supply? Taking her leave of the small group, she swiftly made her way inside to where she had her things.

Fifteen minutes later, Mary's patience was wearing thin. It seemed that her iPod had decided that it didn't feel like co-operating today, and all Mary could think to do was swear at it while smacking the back of it with her palm.

"Everything alright?"

Almost jumping out of her skin, Mary turned to see Matthew stood right behind her, his hands in his pockets and a boyish expression on his face.

"You shouldn't sneak up on women like that, you know." She huffed, turning back to her mini musical device. "You could end up getting arrested."

"I'm sorry but it's difficult to be heard over all the profanity spewing out of your mouth." Matthew bit back, annoyed that his efforts to assist her were being shunned. "What's the matter?" He asked, watching her frown and sigh.

"Nothing." Came the firm response.

"Then why are you shaking an iPod around like a maraca?" Mary only glared at him out of the corner of her eye. Shaking his head in exasperation at her stubbornness, he reached over to take the gadget from her hands. His skin brushed against hers and her eyes flew up to meet his, widened and alert, before she regained her composure. Unable to tell whether her strong reaction was a result of feeling sparks fly between them, or of finding him repellent - after all, she had basically run away from him after the passion-fruit icing incident - Matthew kept his attention on the task at hand. "Looks like it's not turning on." He commented, turning the iPod over in his fingers.

"Oh, is _that_ the problem?" Mary exaggeratedly threw her arms up in the air as if he was her saviour. "God, Matthew, what would I do without you and your immense technical expertise?" Her voice was thick with sarcasm.

Taking a deep breath to prevent himself from saying something rude to her, Matthew continued to work out what was wrong with the device. "I don't know what the problem is - we'll have to show it to someone else."

"Did you think I wouldn't be able to come to that conclusion on my own? Or do you think only men can make decisions about technology?" Mary challenged, unsure why she was being quite so difficult with him.

Matthew looked to the ceiling as if asking God to give him more patience. "Fine - if you don't want my help then I won't force it upon you." He said curtly, handing her back the iPod - being careful not to touch her - and walking away from her to rejoin the drinks' reception.

Mary scoffed as she watched him leave. It didn't matter to her that he'd left her alone - no, she didn't need him at all.

...

Sipping a glass of Pimms and lemonade, Matthew forced a polite smile at the conversation he was having with a couple of the guests. It had been a lovely day so far, and of course he was immeasurably happy to see Anna and Bates get married after all they'd been through, but for some inexplicable reason he felt greatly frustrated.

It made hardly any sense that this recent Mary Crawley figure was pervading his mind and getting beneath his skin so much. He had always prided himself in being a patient, tolerant person who was able to get along with anyone by virtue of his quiet and unassuming charm. Yet, none of this seemed to be working with her. Every now and then they would share a moment, or she would give him a look, to suggest that something was brewing between them - he'd make her smile, or she would let her eyes linger on him in a fleeting few seconds of unguardedness. A matter of minutes later, however, and she would be belittling his efforts to be nice and making him feel thoroughly unwanted.

More perplexing than all this, though, was the following question: why the hell did he mind so much? After today, he need never see her again. They may bump into each other at various gatherings such as Anna and Bates' dinner parties, but they had managed to avoid each other thus far so it was unlikely that they'd have to encounter each other much at all in future.

Deciding that it was ridiculous to let a vague acquaintance torment him so much, Matthew turned his attention back to his companions and lifted his glass to his lips to take another sip.

"Matthew."

The voice sounding his name was abrupt and reluctant. But it made his heart beat a little bit faster. He turned, swallowed his mouthful of Pimms and his eyes settled on a rather sour-looking Mary. It was obvious why she had come to him. He couldn't help but feel triumphant - she had spurned his offer of help and now she'd come crawling back to him. A smug smirk formed on his face and he opened his mouth to verbalise his thoughts. The only problem was that he had a mint leaf from his drink wrapped around his tongue. Mary's expression turned to one of disgust and then stifled laughter as he wrestled with the small piece of foliage before thrusting it to the ground in annoyance.

"What is it?" He snapped, avoiding her eyes as he knew that she was laughing at his clumsiness. Why couldn't the universe let him be smooth and suave just_ once_?

"I was about to ask you for help with the music but I'm not sure how much good you'll be if you can't even manage to drink Pimms without almost choking." She said. He looked up at her with an angry frown, several biting remarks on the tip of his tongue. He instantly softened, however, when her eyes revealed that her teasing was more friendly than it was unkind. A blush and a slight, bashful smile unknowingly endeared himself to her, and Mary resumed. "I asked a couple of people for help but it seems that my iPod is a lost cause." She explained, the panic that had been building within her now resurging. "So we have to abandon that idea and come up with something else."

"We?" Matthew couldn't help but remark on her choice of pronoun. "I thought you had it all under control, remember? You wouldn't tell me anything about it. I don't even know what song you chose!" He pointed out.

Mary reeled in her stern look. He had a point. "Alright, fine. You're right." The words were completely foreign to her, and it seemed that even Matthew understood their significance; his eyes were wide with surprise. "But you need to help me think of something," Mary continued speedily, not wanting to dwell on her rare admission of being wrong, "the guests will be entering the hall for dinner in about thirty minutes and we won't have any time! The dance will be immediately after dessert!"

"OK, OK," Her panic was contagious and Matthew ran his hand through his hair as he tried to think of a solution. Mary noticed how he messed up his neatly gelled style, giving him a more dishevelled appearance that she thought suited him very well, but she shook her head clear of those dangerous thoughts. There was no time for that now. "I think I have a CD in my car - does the church have a CD player?" Matthew asked.

"Maybe!" Mary said, liking his train of thought. Matthew smiled at her positive reaction, glad to know that he was being helpful to her. "What CD is it?"

His smile faltered as he remembered. "Oh, erm...it's actually probably not appropriate." He mumbled, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

Mary cocked her head to the side. "What is it?" She pressed.

"It doesn't matter," Matthew said dismissively, "let's go inside and think of something else." He pointed towards the hall.

"Tell me what the CD is." Mary demanded. "It could be helpful - Anna has quite an eclectic taste in music." She said, standing in his way.

Matthew sighed - she clearly wasn't going to let him evade her questions. "It's Shirley Bassey." He relented. Rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath as Mary promptly burst into laughter, catching curious looks from nearby guests, Matthew strode away from her and towards the reception hall.

"_Shirley Bassey_?" Mary called after him, still full of mirth. Matthew ignored her, clenching his fists and purposefully walking through the small door. Again, it didn't matter what she thought of him, but it would be nice if the universe didn't insist on portraying him as a complete loser to this gorgeous young woman. "There's nothing wrong with it, Matthew." He heard Mary's amused voice insist as she caught up behind him. "It's just that I didn't realise you were a sixty-five year old gay man."

"Shut up." Matthew murmured, determinedly avoiding looking at her.

"Oh, I'm only joking, Matthew." Mary said more seriously, seeing that she might have taken her teasing too far. She reached out to stop him walking away from her again, her fingers automatically clasping around his hand before she realised what she was doing. He stopped at once and turned to meet her eyes. They were as blue and arresting as ever, and Mary momentarily forgot what they'd been talking about.

Her hand was soft and warm against his and he had to resist holding it more tightly. He was glad that she hadn't caught his wrist, for she would have certainly felt his pulse racing. "Erm, right. I know." He cleared his throat before gently prising his hand away from hers. It wasn't that he hadn't enjoyed the physical contact. It was more that it had caused his mind to clear of all rational thought. Curiously, Mary's hand hovered in the air - as if she, too, missed the contact - before it slowly lowered to her side.

"So..." Mary began, looking around her as if searching for something, when in truth she just needed a break from the vision in front of her that she was finding increasingly attractive.

"So," Matthew echoed, "what song was it that you chose?"

"It's just this old tune that my grandmother used to play all the time when my sisters and I were little." Mary replied. "It was from a musical that showed around 1919 or 1920, or something. Anyway, I was listening to it one day and Anna overheard it and fell in love with it."

"Do you know the words to it, then?" Matthew asked, an idea forming in his mind.

"Yes..." Mary answered with a frown, not seeing where he was going.

"Do you think you could sing it?" Matthew suggested. Mary almost laughed in his face.

"Are you mad? You're suggesting that I stand up in front of sixty people, most of whom I don't know, and start singing a song that none of them will even recognise?" She looked at him in disbelief.

"Why not? You know that Anna likes the song, and that's the most important thing. Plus, you're her best friend. I think it would be quite touching if you sang for her first dance." Matthew shrugged.

Realising that he was in fact being serious, Mary pondered his argument. They had few options available to them, and they mostly involved telling other people about their predicament, which Mary resolutely wanted to avoid. The last thing she wanted was for Anna or Bates to have to worry about something on their big day. "Well, it's a nice idea, but I'm afraid it's not viable. The song is a duet, and I'm afraid I can't lower my voice to sing the tenor part." She stated, thankful that she'd found another reason to get out of singing live in front of strangers.

"I can sing the other part." Matthew said simply.

"What?" Mary hadn't been expecting that suggestion. This man was much more ballsy than she'd given him credit for. "You would do that?" She asked disbelievingly.

Matthew noted her tone and observed her countenance. "I know you think I'm just some boring tax lawyer with no personality," he said, growing annoyed again, "but I do have some fragments of talent and I'm not a complete coward."

"I didn't think you were a coward." Mary said defensively. There was something about Matthew that was making her feel quite protective of him, almost as if he was hers to mock and provoke, but she didn't want to actually cause any injury to his feelings. "I just..." She trailed off, unable to justify her initial surprise. He raised an eyebrow at her pointedly, sensing her thoughts. "Anyway, how are we going to do this? We have less than half-an-hour to perfect an entire song!"

"We have longer than that." Matthew said calmly, walking over to a small table where some scrap sheets of paper belonging to the caterers lay.

"No, we don't. Like I said, dinner begins as soon as the guests are seated, then Anna and Bates cut the cake, then it's the dance!" Mary exclaimed, finding his apparent lack of concern vexing. "We can hardly practice while the dinner is going on, with the married couple sat between us."

"I'm sure we'll find a way." Matthew attempted to assure her. "Besides, everyone's attention will be on the couple dancing. They won't notice if we get a couple of the words wrong."

"You're not very concerned about doing things properly, are you?" Mary accused him as he pulled up two chairs for them to sit on. "I hope you're putting more effort into your speech." She swiftly cast him an apologetic glance as he looked at her sharply. Evidently, it was still a worry for him.

"Will you just write the lyrics down, please?" Matthew said bluntly, reaching into the inside pocket of his blazer for a pen. He handed it to her, along with the scrap of paper, and watched as she began to write the words. _Sometimes, when I feel sad, and things look blue..._

_..._

Having copious amounts of tax law to remember each financial year had apparently made Matthew a very quick learner. It had only taken a handful of run-throughs of the song for him to pick up the words and the melody. The first couple of attempts had been slow for both of them, though, as they'd each been distracted by the sound of the other singing. Matthew's singing voice - much like his speaking voice - was rich and clear and deep, and it made Mary feel a sensation in her chest and the pit of her stomach that she'd not felt before. Mary's rendition mirrored her appearance - refined, elegant and very pretty, and Matthew caught himself staring at her with his mouth open on more than one occasion before realising that it was his turn to sing.

"Well, I think that's all we can do for now." Mary said, spying the first few guests filtering into the hall, already a bit tipsy on the Pimms and champagne.

"I think we'll be alright." Matthew said confidently, folding up the sheet of paper with the words written on and putting it in his trouser pocket. "You're a good teacher." He said to her, smiling as she blushed prettily.

"You're a good student." She replied, feeling herself more at ease than she had in a while. As stressed and worried as she'd been, Matthew had managed to make her feel calm and had brought a smile to her face. It wasn't something that many people would have been able to do, but he had some special effect on her that she couldn't quite place. Whatever it was, she was very grateful for it. "How are you feeling about your speech?" She asked tentatively, hoping he wouldn't misconstrue her question as an attempt to poke fun at him.

"Fine." He answered with false confidence that she could see right through.

"If you want to practice it on me quickly, while everyone's taking their seats, you can." Mary offered in what she hoped was a kind manner. Naturally, she wanted everything at Anna's wedding to be marvellous, but she also wanted the speech to go well for Matthew's sake. As much as he could push her buttons, he was a good, sweet man and she had faith in him.

Thankfully, Matthew seemed to detect her sincerity, and he smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, but don't worry about it. I spent all of yesterday going through it and I don't want it to sound over-rehearsed." Mary nodded in understanding, and the two assumed their unofficial roles as greeters and ushers, chatting to guests as they helped them find their seats.

As expected, Anna and Bates separated them during dinner, which meant they weren't able to speak to one another. The other bridesmaid whom Mary was sat next to, Anna's good friend from school, was lovely enough, but Mary missed the quick-witted barbs, the teasing, and - she reluctantly admitted to herself - the flirtation that Matthew provided her with. While the waiters collected their starter plates, she discreetly peered over to where he was sat and noticed him chatting to Bates' sister, a twenty-four year old blonde who had obviously inherited the good genes from the Bates family tree. Mary's eyes narrowed as she watched the Bates daughter laugh at something Matthew said, unjustifiable jealousy swirling in her gut.

Soon, the desserts were being cleared away. A nervous Matthew practically drained both his wine and champagne glasses as he watched both Bates and Anna's father give sweet and heartfelt speeches, which the crowd enthusiastically enjoyed. Now it was his turn, and he couldn't help but wonder if anyone would notice if he stood up and belted it out of the fire exit.

As the applause and cheers following Mr Smith's speech died down, Matthew stood slowly, arranged his cue cards on the table in front of him for the twentieth time and took a deep breath. He looked up and surveyed the crowd, remembering his mother telling him that it would help to look at people's faces. There was one face that his eyes automatically wandered to, despite the fact that it wasn't placed in the general crowd. Mary was looking right back at him; she gave him an encouraging smile and mouthed the words 'You will be great' to him, and he suddenly felt as if he could fly.

...

Matthew and Mary let out a joint sigh of relief as they finished the final note of the song. To their surprise, the audience neither howled nor booed them out of the room, and Anna and Bates were beaming as they danced closely together. Having spent the entire song struggling to stop himself from looking at the woman by his side, Matthew finally turned to her.

"That wasn't too bad, was it?" He smiled. Attention turned away from them as the DJ began to play his set, encouraging other guests to join the newlyweds on the small dancefloor area.

"I think one or two people might have actually enjoyed it." Mary's face was flushed and a wide grin was on her face from the adrenaline of what they'd just pulled off.

"I don't believe it." Matthew teased. Before Mary could reply, they were joined by a man in his mid-thirties, who Matthew recognised as one of Bates' colleagues at the hotel where he was a concierge.

"So, what's the story?" The man asked after briefly exchanging pleasantries, gesturing between Mary and Matthew. "Are you two a couple, or something?"

"No, we're not." Mary shook her head, feeling unexpectedly awkward at the blunt question. After the events of the afternoon, culminating in them singing a love song together, she suddenly felt inexplicably close to Matthew, despite not knowing where he lived or anything about his family, and the idea of them being a couple was getting her rather hot under the proverbial collar.

"So you just do duets together?" The man asked, perplexed.

"Er, no..." Mary answered, looking to Matthew who was also wearing a confused frown on his face.

"Oh, sorry. It's just that you seem like you do this all the time." The man remarked, before clearly remembering his purpose in approaching Mary and thrusting his shoulders back and his chest forward. "Do you enjoy dancing as much as you enjoy singing?" He sidled up to her, a slightly sleazy glint in his eye. Mary tried to subtly back away until she bumped into Matthew's arm.

"Erm, I actually-" She hesitated, not knowing what excuse she could come up with given that she had to stay in the same room as this man for another two or three hours, at least.

"You were just about to dance with me, weren't you, Mary?" Matthew interjected. Mary looked to him gratefully. He was stood, straight-backed and with a set jaw, his eyes almost throwing daggers at the man the other side of her. She smiled inwardly. It appeared that she wasn't the only one who suffered from irrational pangs of jealousy this evening.

"Yes, that's right." She faced the man with a placid smile. "The maid of honour must dance with the best man - you know, tradition and all."

The man chuckled to himself. "I'm fairly sure the modern tradition is for the maid of honour and best man to engage in _horizontal_ dancing, but whatever. Maybe catch you later." He winked at Mary before departing.

Once again, Matthew caught Mary with a look of repulsion on her face. "Are you recoiling at how immature and creepy that guy was, or at what he said about the tradition?" Matthew asked, secretly hoping that she might find the thought of sleeping with him less objectionable now.

"Both." Mary answered casually, trying to stop her cheeks from going pink as Matthew reinforced the image of them together in bed by mentioning it again.

They stood in a silence that was half-companionable, half-tinged with an awkward sexual tension, and watched as the other guests in attendance danced to the Motown classic that the DJ was now playing. Matthew wasn't sure whether he should actually ask Mary to dance, given that they had told Bates' colleague that they would be. Plus, he suspected that if he didn't make a move soon then she would be snapped up by some other eager pervert. But what was he thinking? Was he really contemplating 'making a move'? They may have just worked together to overcome an obstacle and provide their best friends with a memorable wedding moment, but beyond that they had nothing in common. She clearly thought herself out of his league and, to be quite frank, he had an in-built hostility towards the upper class. It was undeniable, though, that as much as her blatant arrogance irked him, he could detect a softness and intelligence beneath her cool exterior that he found himself increasingly drawn to.

"Matthew! Mary!"

His thoughts were interrupted by the sight and sound of the beaming newlyweds, faces flushed and glowing from joy and the exertion of dancing to 'YMCA', beckoning them onto the dancefloor.

"C'mon, mate, if I'm dancing then you have to, too!" Bates cajoled, pulling Matthew by his cuff as Anna gave Mary a grateful hug and also dragged her onto the dancing area.

Smiling tightly, Mary lifted her arms to indicate that she was ready to be taken into hold. A slow song had just begun to play, to allow guests to catch their breath. "I suppose I'd rather dance to this than to the Macarena, which I'm sure will be savaging our eardrums any minute now." She said drily. In typical fashion, she didn't want to appear keen to dance with him, despite what her body and racing heartbeat were suggesting.

The back of her dress was made of a delicate lace and net material. It was very thin, which meant that she could feel Matthew's fingers almost as if they were on her skin. She hoped that they could make enough conversation to distract her from the tingling sensation that he was creating all over her body.

"Maybe we should have been put in charge of all of tonight's music." Matthew remarked lightly.

Mary smiled genuinely. "That man did seem convinced that we were a musical duo."

"God, I was worried he was trying to book us for his mum's birthday party or something." Matthew confessed, causing Mary to laugh.

"We obviously did a good job! Thanks for your help." She said more seriously. It was rare for her to admit that she needed help, or that someone else had done a good job in executing a task that had been given to her, but she did hope that Matthew acknowledged her gratitude. It would have been rather embarrassing for her if he hadn't stepped in. Not many people would have overcome her repeated jibes, her efforts to keep her guard up.

"Glad I could help." Matthew smiled gently. "Thanks for your encouragement before my speech - I was in desperate need of some reassurance." He admitted a little shyly.

Mary could feel herself softening in front of him. He had a kind of unashamed vulnerability and openness about his emotions that she hadn't come across before. Far from making him seem unmasculine and weak, however, he came across as honest and mature, and paradoxically more secure in himself than most men their age were. His speech had indeed been quite a success. He had charmed the audience with his gentle, soothing tone and unassuming wit, made them laugh with entertaining stories of his time with Bates at university, and even brought tears to their eyes as he explained how wonderful it had been for him to witness Bates' and Anna's love blossom. The female members of the audience had been particularly enraptured by Matthew's words, Mary noticed, for it was rare to find such a handsome young man who possessed great eloquence while being in touch with his emotions. Mary was sure there had been audible whimpers when Matthew recalled how Bates had helped him through a difficult break up with a girlfriend just after university.

"It went marvellously." Mary said sincerely.

"Make sure you save a dance for me, Matthew!" Turning her head to the side, Mary spotted a silver-haired woman in her fifties cooing at Matthew, giving him what she obviously thought was an alluring gaze.

"Erm, sure..." Matthew replied uncomfortably, his grip unconsciously tightening on Mary as the woman giggled girlishly and moved away.

"Have fun with that." Mary laughed. Matthew looked at her sharply.

"You have to help me - you owe me one." He said pointedly. "I saved you from Anna's cousin _and_ from that sleazy man earlier."

"I didn't realise you only did those to earn a favour in return." Mary countered, somewhat glad that they were back to arguing. The fluttering feelings in her stomach and her inability to stop staring at his handsomeness had been worrying her.

"I didn't." Matthew said defensively. "But I'd like to think you would return the favour in any case."

Before Mary could reply, the photographer barged his way into the dancefloor and demanded that he take a photograph of them. Stepping apart, Matthew stood beside Mary and gently wrapped an arm around her waist. Their plastered smiles faltered as the photographer took what seemed like an age to get the focus right, during which time other drunken guests took the opportunity to crash the picture. Mary glared at the people behind her who found it amusing to jostle her and cheer nonsensical words directly into her ear, while Matthew tried to brush off the droplets of beer that had spilled onto his neat black blazer.

"Alright, that'll do." The weary photographer said, obviously hating the fact that the inebriated guests wouldn't let him get a decent photograph of anything. Matthew lowered his arm from Mary's waist, only for one of the liquored-up partygoers to collide into it, pushing his hand squarely onto Mary's bottom. Mary gasped and turned to him in shock. Matthew removed his hand as quickly as he could, stammered an apology and clumsily pointed to the culprit who was now trying to breakdance to a Frank Sinatra song. It was difficult for him to explain what had happened, given that all of his blood had rushed to his groin the moment his hand had cupped her perfectly-rounded bottom. Mercifully, she seemed to accept that it had been an accident.

Mary's own nerves had been set alight by that brief moment. Much of the last few hours had been spent trying to push away the indecent thoughts of Matthew that had been forming in her mind, but now that was near-impossible. She found herself back in hold with Matthew as the photographer requested 'natural' shots of everyone dancing.

What had been a slightly nervous, slightly playful atmosphere before was now charged with copious amounts of sexual tension. Their eyes were locked and they seemed to be dancing more closely than they had been before. The people around them gradually faded away. Eventually, Matthew decided something needed to be done before he exploded. There was no point denying it - he wanted her. And he had the distinct feeling that she wanted him too. After all, if it turned out that he was wrong and she ended up slapping him for trying it on with her, he need never see her again. What was there to lose?

"About that tradition..." Matthew murmured, swallowing hard, "the one that you found disturbing."

"Yes?" Mary breathed back, her heart pounding against her chest as she saw Matthew lick his lips. Was he really about to propose that they sleep together?

"Still find it disturbing?"

Having seemingly lost the power of speech, mesmerised by his pink lips, Mary ever-so-slightly shook her head. Before she knew what was happening, his lips were on hers. It wasn't one of those kisses that started out slowly, beginning with tentative touches and building in intensity. No, this kiss started where most kisses peaked. It was wet, hot and needy, and soon Mary's tongue was probing his mouth, eager to taste more. He responded enthusiastically, running his tongue along hers with a delicious friction. Mary's fingers clawed at his shoulder and she moaned into his mouth.

Luckily for them, they were now on the outskirts of the dance area, away from the light, and rest of the guests were enjoying themselves too much to notice that the best man and maid of honour were locked in a passionate kiss, hands roaming to indecent places.

Mary whimpered loudly as Matthew's strong hand fondled her buttock while the other tried to grope her breast. "Matthew," she gasped, pushing him away slightly. He looked utterly bewildered, his hair standing on its end where Mary had tugged at it. "We need to go somewhere else." She whispered hastily, gesturing to the dozens of people around them.

"Oh...right..." Matthew conceded, gazing around him as if he had forgotten where they were. He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up even more, as he thought. "We could go back to the church?" He suggested.

Mary's eyes widened in alarm. "Are you mad? I'm not having sex in a church!" She hissed.

"Well _you_ think of somewhere, then!" Matthew hissed back, very annoyed that all those nice sensations that he'd been feeling had been interrupted, and that she was expecting him to think coherent thoughts when her hips had been grinding against his less twenty seconds earlier.

Surveying the room to see if they'd be noticed, Mary quickly clasped Matthew's hand and led him outside. On her stroll around the gardens earlier that day, she had come across a small enclosure with a pretty pond, some flowerbeds, and a bench. A bench that was large enough for two people to lie down on.

She brought Matthew to an abrupt halt in front of it and looked at him expectantly. He briefly glanced at the bench, quickly looked around to assess the risk of someone walking in on them, and looked back at Mary.

"Looks good." He said simply, before sliding his arms around Mary again and resuming their earlier activities without wasting any time. Mary had half been expecting him to begin more slowly this time, but was pleased that he was as desperate as she was. She let herself be lowered down onto the wooden bench, enjoying the feel of Matthew's warm weight settling on top of her. His hands travelled down her sides, over her hips and down her legs until they reached the hem of her light dress. She moved her lips to his neck, loosening his tie and pushing his collar open as she felt his hands run up underneath her dress, pushing the material up with them until he reached her hips. He sat up enough to swiftly slide his blazer off and onto the ground, before eagerly grasping her thinly-covered breasts with both hands. The flimsy nature of the dress had led Mary to forgo a bra, making it very easy for Matthew to harden and tease her nipples. She groaned loudly, part-way through unbuttoning his shirt, her eyes closing at the sensation.

Spurred on by her enjoyment of his ministrations, Matthew boldly moved his hand to her hip, tracing his fingers along her groin until he reached her underwear. He watched her as he slid a finger underneath the small piece of lace, and inside her. It produced a rather satisfying cry from Mary, making him smirk. He bent his head to take her now bare breast into his mouth, swirling his tongue around her nipple and sucking and nibbling alternately, feeling her fingers dig into his scalp to keep his head there. He began sliding his finger in and out, enjoying the slickness around his skin, before turning it and curling it up inside her. Mary groaned loudly, her body arching off the bench, her body beginning to shake from the intense sensations.

"God..." She gasped, panting heavily, "Stop..." She commanded as forcefully as she could, summoning her faculties enough to reach down and unbuckle Matthew's belt and unfasten his trousers. Her hand brushed against him in the process and it was his turn to groan loudly, his head falling onto her chest in pleasure. She gently lifted his head to bring him in for another penetrating kiss and wrapped her bare legs around his waist to encourage him.

He needed little encouragement, and within seconds he had slipped into her, thick and engorged and filling her completely. Their mouths broke apart to sigh and moan and curse at the connection, before Matthew began thrusting back and forth, in and out, his speed aided by Mary raising her hips to him and pushing him further into her with her legs clasped around his bottom. If it was possible, the feeling of Mary around him and beneath him was making Matthew harder and harder, and he wondered how long he would last before he spontaneously combusted. Mary was beginning to lose the feeling in her arms, which were now loosely looped around Matthew's neck, with one hand in his thick hair.

Her pants became heavier and louder, intermingled with his grunts as they sped up their movements. Matthew held on for dear life as he threw himself into her with increasing energy, sending her into a spiral of ecstasy and delirium as she screamed her release, Matthew quickly following suit. He buried his head into her neck as he emptied into her, fully satisfied and completely exhausted.

It took many moments for the two to regain their senses and for their heartbeats to slow down. Mary's limbs were still half-numb, but the pleasant tingling sensation spreading over her body was helping. Matthew forced himself off her enough so that they could rearrange their clothes, wiping the perspiration off his forehead.

They looked at each other, a little unsure of what to do.

"Do you think we should go back?" Matthew asked, knowing what the answer was but not wanting to admit it. The last thing he wanted to do right now was dance with a middle-aged woman to ABBA.

"I think we have to." Mary replied with a sigh. How they were going to return to the church hall as if nothing had happened, she had no idea. She was sure, for starters, that her hair and make-up were an absolute mess. "It probably won't last much longer than another hour. Everyone seemed pretty wasted already." She said, hoping she was right.

"True." Matthew nodded thoughtfully. He hesitated.

"What is it?" Mary asked softly.

"I just wondered...if you wanted to do anything afterwards." Matthew cleared his throat, not sure whether he was being incredibly presumptuous.

Mary smiled at him, a twinkle in her eye. "It depends what you have in mind." She answered, deliberately making him feel more awkward.

Catching her mischievous expression, Matthew grew more confident. "Well, I'd like to get to know you better." He said honestly, before turning more cheeky. "Plus, I'd quite like to do _that_ again. But perhaps somewhere a bit more comfortable and, you know, where it isn't illegal?" He offered with a smirk.

Mary rolled her eyes playfully, standing up and straightening her dress. "God, you tax lawyers are so straight-laced, aren't you?" She teased, walking away from him and back towards the wedding reception.

...

_A/N: hope you enjoyed! And I went with the general consensus and decided to give you some smut. Thanks so much for reading xxx_


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